Man charged with maid abuse
By Shaffiq Alkhatib | Posted: 22 June 2011 1448 hrs
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SINGAPORE: A 30-year-old man accused of two counts of maid abuse on Wednesday is believed to have kicked his domestic helper's forehead, punched her left eye and even stepped on her upper back after she was pushed onto the floor.
Hamzah Abdullah was said to have assaulted Solikhatun Khasanah at around 4.30pm in a flat in Jurong on Oct 10 last year.
The 26-year-old Indonesian maid suffered internal bleeding as a result.
Hamzah is also accused of caning Ms Solikhatun on the back of her legs in the flat earlier that month.
The tall bespectacled man told the court that he wants to plead guilty and asked if he could be sentenced to a fine for the offence.
In response to this, district judge Christopher Goh said that those convicted of maid abuse are usually sent to jail.
Hamzah, who intends to seek help from the Criminal Legal Aid Scheme (CLAS) will be back in court on Jul 6.
If convicted of maid abuse, for each charge, he could be jailed up to three years, fined a maximum of S$7,500 or both.
-CNA/ck
